Apparatus for making concrete slabs



Dec. 711926.

J. H. PEARSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONCRETE SLABS 1925 2 Sheets-Shor- Filed Jan. 31

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. J. H. PEARSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONCRETE SLABS Filed Jan. 31 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y In H mQe a Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

UNITED JAMES-H'PEARSON, orBLoonrrELnrNnrA vA, 'nssreuoa T0 CONCRETE srno 00., or

BLOOMFIELD, ii'vDiAivA, A

CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

APPARATUS'FOR MAKING CONCRETE SLABS.

Application filed January This invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for making concrete slabs and more particularly, to such method and apparatus whereby slabs may be rapidly produced by a mechanical process and so tamped' as to be dense and strong in structure.

Heretofore slabs or staves have generally been constructed by placing the material in a mold having an open top and tamping it from above. This has been carried out with the slab on one of its broad faces, so that the vertical thickness of the material acted on by the tamping is quite small. The tamping is accomplished by several mechanical tampers moving up and down repeatedly and since they have a small depth to work on, their elliciency is low and the stresses transmitted to the mold are comparatively great. After the material is tamped, it is necessary to smooth off the upper surface with a trowel or similar device operated either mechanically or by hand. It is difficult to secure a smooth and uniform broad surface in this way. g

It is an object of the present invention to provide means and method whereby mate.- rial may be introduced through one of the narrow faces of the stave or slab mold and efliciently compacted in the mold.

It is a; further object to provide a means and method whereby the materials maybe compacted or tamped 'by plungers operating against a narrow face and acting along a major axis of the material.

It is an additional object to provide a means and method whereby the plunger in its operation carries'into the mold an increment of material at each operation.

It is a further object to provide means and method whereby the increments of material ma be mechanicallymeasured.

ther and further objects will appear as the description proceeds. p

I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of'm'y invention in the a ccomp'anyin'gdrawings,'in which" e Figure 1 is a side elevation of the appaietes"; I y r Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, "eertain "of the p arts being f'sl-rown in section;

urefii's a-plan viewjo'ftheiapp'aratus; En 9e 4% 'is aiseeti nrakea on" ee-Ei'gare :1;

31, 1925. Serial No. 5,926.

Figure 5 is a cross section showing the cutoff knife, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6--6 of Figure 2.

The apparatus comprises the table structure 1 1, whichsupports the hopper structure 12 and the mold structure 13. The hopper l2 discharges on to the material receiving floor 14, which is located adjacent the open end 15 of the mold. The mold comprises the base 16 which is slidably supported upon the cross members 17. end 18 which is carried by the arms 19 which are pivotally connected to the table at 20. The side 21 of the mold as shown in Figure a is carried by the arms 22 which are pivotally secured to the table at 23. The table The mold has the is provided with the studs 24: extending through suitable openings in the arms 22 to prevent endwise movement of the side 21.

The top 25 is carried by the arms 26 which are pivotally connected at- 27 to the members 28' which latter are fixedly secured to the table structure 11. The outer ends of the arms 26 carries the latches 2?,which engage the arms 22 to; hold the top down in place. These latches, are operated by the handle 28. The top 25 carries the angle members 29 which extend downwardly over the outer face of the end 18 to retain it in place. The thin metallic covering 80 is carried by the inner face of the top or cover member 25 'andiis held in place by inturned edges 31, which fit into grooves in the member 25. The member 30 may be moved longitudinally relative to the top member 25.

Referring particularly, to Figure 5, the cutoff knife 32 is carried in guides 38 exftendingfrom the table structure 11 and the knife may be moved transversely by the lever 34 which is pivotally supported at 35 from the table structure. The lever' 34 is connected to the knife by the link 36. The knife 32 is provided with the opening 37, which corresponds in silze to the open end 15 of the mold.

The plunger 37 is carried bythetable 11.

"and is adapted to reciprocatethereon. The headof this plunger. corresponds: in size substantially te the open "end. 15 e-ftliemold.

. Referring to Figure 2, the. plunger .37 :is

provided with the stud 38 which hasten nested thereto the strap. .39 which-extends aiefiuhd pulley 40 earn-es by sea '41.

move in One end of the strap is secured to the pulley. The shaft 41 also carries the pulley 4-2 around which extends the strap d3, one end of the strap being secured to the pulley. The other end of the strap i3 is connected to the spring 471-. the opposite end of which is connected at 4:5 to the table structure.

The shaftto is secured in bearings l? on the table structure and may be driven by power supplied through the pulley -18. The shaft 4.6 also carries the pulley 49 around which passes the endless belt 50, which belt also passes around the pulley 51 on shaft 52. The belt 50 carries a stud 53 adapted to engage a stud carried by the plunger 37,

The material cutoit slide 5;) is carried by the upper face of the forward portion of the plunger 37. This plate has secured to the rear end thereoi the member 56. The turndown end of the member 56 en against a rear tare 57 ot the plunger 37. The spring has one end connected to the hopper 12 and the other end to the stud 59, which extends upwardly from the member 56.

The mold 13 is provided with the fixed side (it). It will be noted that in the form shown the mold sides 21 and 60 and the mold end 18 are all provided with grooves 61 adapted to form tongues upon the sides and one end of the slab of concrete mold. It will be understood that instead of grooves these parts may be provided with tongues so as to form co responding grooves in the slabs.

One of the difficulties with previous methods of tamping has been the forming of these grooves or tongues which are at right. angles to the line of tamping. This difficulty is obviated in the present case where the grooves or tongues are parallel to or opposite the tainping stroke.

In the operation of the apparatus, mixed concrete will be placed in the hopper 12 and the mold parts will be placed together and locked in place. Power is transmitted to the shaft 1-6 which causes the belt .30 to the counter-clockwiso direction. The stud 53 on the belt engages the stud carried by the plunger or tamper 3?. This moves the plunger to the left. During this movemenh the strap is pulled to the left with the plunger and by means of the pulley 40 it rotates the shaft 41. in the counter-clockwise direction. Tension is put on the spring ll by means o1 the strap 43 connected to pulley 42.

As the plunger 37 moves to the left, it carries with it the material cutofi slide 55, due to the engagement of the turned-down end of the member 56 with the rear face 57 of the plunger. Material drops down from the hopper 12 in front of the plunger. As the stud as on the belt passes down around the pulley 49, it is disengaged from the stud 54: carried by the plunger. The spring all then comes into play and forces the plunger rapidly to the right and into the mold. It carries ahead of it the 1naterial which has dropped down in front of it from the hopper. The plunger not only carries this material into the mold, but gives it a tamping or compacting blow. It will be noted that the cutoff slide 5?; does not enter the mold but stops against its face, being held against the face by the spring 58 and being carried back again by the plunger in its subsequentrearward movement. After the mold has been fully filled. the operation of the plunger is stopped and the cutotl knife 32 is thrust across the open end of the mold by means of lever 3 1. This gives a smooth and even end to the material .in the mold.

Before swinging the top upwardly to open the mold the inner metal covering 30 is reciprocated slightly, longitudinally of the top to free it from material adhering thereto. The top is then unfastencd and swung up, the end 18 is swung back on its arms as is the side 21. The base 10 is then slid from under the side 60 and lifted otl, carrying with it the molded slab. This is set aside until the slab hardens when it is removed from the base and the base may be used again. It is to be understood that a large number of bases 0r pallets will be provided and the machine may be substantially continuously operated.

lVhile I have shown one preferred form of apparatus "for carrying out my method, it is to be understood that I contemplate such changes both in method and apparatus, as come within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a mold having one of the smaller faces open, means for intermittently feeding concrete to the mold and cut ot'f and compacting means operating through the open face of the mold.

2. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprisin a mold having one of the smaller faces open. means for intermittently feeding concrete to the mold and spring operated outoli and compacting means operating through the open face of the mold.

3. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a mold having one of the smaller faces open, means for intermittently feeding concrete to the mold and cut oil and conpacting means operating through the open face of the mold, said means being of approximately the full area of the open side of the mold.

at. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a mold having an open end face, a cutoii' and compacting plunger adapted to enter the. open face, means for. intermittent lit) ly depositing material between the plunger and mold and means for reciprocating the plunger.

5. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a mold having an open end face, a cut off and compacting plunger adapted to enter the open face, means for intermittently depositing material between the plunger and mold, means for positively retracting the plunger after each deposit and spring means for carrying it into the mold to tamp the deposits as they are made.

6. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a mold having an open end face, a compacting plunger adapted to enter the open face, means for depositing material between the plunger and mold, means operatively associated with the plunger for cutting off a predetermined amountof concrete and means for reciprocating the plunger.

7. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a mold having an open end facc, a compacting plunger adapted to enter the open face, means for depositing material be tween the plunger and mold, means for reciprocating the plunger and knife means operable to shear through concrete and close the open end of the mold.

8. Apparatus for forming concrete slabs comprising a separable mold having an open end face, a material receiving floor adjacent the end face, a hopper adapted to deposit material on said floor, a plunger adapted to 'carry material from said floor into the mold,

bers forming the walls of said mold, and a member carried by an inner face of a wall and adapted for movement parallel to the wall face whereby it may be freed from plastic material adhering thereto.

10. In a mold for plastic materials, a top member for the mold hingedly connected thereto, a thin metallic inner facing carried by the inner face of the top member and adapted to he moved parallel to the face of 'the member when the member is in place whereby the face of the member may be freed of material adhering thereto.

Signed at Bloomfield, Indiana, this 27th day of January, 1925:

JAMES H. PEARSON. 

